Deception
by The Stilinator
Summary: A personal sequel to 'Inception' - Arthur brings in old, and new, members of the team for a new, less complicated job. Featuring Arthur, Eames and Ariadne.
1. Chapter 01: The Point Man and the Forger

_**A/N:** First of all, to my general readers I apologise for a lack of my Doctor Who Highwayman story; I seem to have run dry on the topic and been rather busy of late, but I do intend to get back to it eventually so keep an eye out! Now this story, this tale, is based around an idea myself and two friends had (one being fellow FanFiction member 'Loyal Browncoat') in which we in fact roleplayed on a forum I owned. We were massive Inception fans the moment we'd all seen the film and couldn't let it end like it did without a sequel so we kind of… continued it. Like a lot of you readers and writers have, in fact! Now forgive me if the flow doesn't quite fit; as I said this originated from a roleplay and adapting it from three different writers into one singular story can get quite difficult at time but I do my best. The story itself is self-explanatory so please, enjoy! Any comments/criticisms which would help my adaption from roleplay to fiction would be grateful too!_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters within Inception – that's Chris Nolan's role – but I damn well like using them._

* * *

Pressing the disconnect button on his mobile, Arthur leant back against his chair and merely regarded the wall opposite in silent contemplation for a minute, several thoughts systematically working their way through his mind in order. The prospect of another job, a decently paid one with room for independent organisation, not merely as a hired hand, was always welcome and the prospect of only twenty hours to assemble a team only energised him more.

Dialling first Eames, Arthur didn't know whether to blame the receipt of an answer phone on an international time difference or the forger's social life but left a simple message anyway.

"New job in the works, well paid, you've got five hours to get back to me"

Looking at his phone for a moment too long, Arthur pursued his lips before choosing the next number, knowing the time difference would be to blame now for any lack of reply. As another answering message rang out, this one very different from the last, Arthur likewise left a different message.

"Ariadne, it's the point man. There's another assignment if you want it. Speak to Miles today."

Disconnecting the last call, Arthur pocketed his phone, mentally reminding himself to dump it the next day and reached for his laptop, booking flights…

Eyes snapping open, it took Eames a fraction of a second to assess where he was. The ceiling didn't belong to his current hotel, and the four posters along with their white velvet drapes definitely weren't part of his current décor. Looking over to the two women slumbering next to him, the man smirked to himself, not even bothering to remember their names as he reflected upon the night previous, filled with light drinks, seduction and a side order of sex.

Realising that there was no reason for him to be awake yet, Eames nevertheless moved his hand over to the dresser, removed the G-string and picked up his mobile, checking the time, only to find he had a missed call and a voicemail. Shrugging to himself and sliding from the bed without waking the women, he checked the message, not overly surprised to find it was from Arthur, regarding a new job. Raising his eyebrow in happy realisation, Eames placed the phone on the chest of draws and started to place his clothes on.

When all dressed, Eames picked up his phone, looked over to the still-sleeping women, then slipped out of the room, pressing redial as he waited for the response, the moment the man on the other side picked up, Eames responded by his name only.

"Mr Eames" Arthur reiterated in greeting when he heard the reply, staying as close to the point but as guarded as usual. "I've had a job offer from our last employer, no tourists this time, same point man, no set extractor, possibly the same architect. Are you interested?"

As he listened for a reply Arthur continued his previous activity one handed, folding and packing shirts and waistcoats into a small wheeled suitcase.

"Well, I can't deny an offer from an old friend now can I? Especially with the offer of newer friends" Eames smirked, "Where is the arranged meeting place, you can inform me more there."

As Arthur responded, Eames let his pace quicken, racing through set of doors and past reception before the ladies behind the desk knew what the blur of movement that passed was, yet sure the blur had winked in their direction.

"How long will it take you to get to Paris?" he asked, although they didn't have, and had never had, the smoothest working relationship, Arthur was silently relieved to hear Eames agree immediately to another job. Although he distrusted every single one of the other man's motivations and methods, he trusted the man himself and, without Cobb physically coming on this job, that counted for a great deal.

Zipping up his case as he spoke, Arthur concluded; "I'll meet you in the Hotel de Vendome – you're booked into room eighty four. We'll be able to organise the details from there. I'm hoping we'll pick up the last of our team along the way. And we're going to need visas so I hope your handwriting is still steady."

"Smooth and steady like calm water, darling" Eames responded, almost automatically, as he hailed himself a taxi from outside, "Nice name too, single or double bed by the way, and I suggest a four-poster if you're up for it." Hanging up before he could get a response, Eames sidled into the taxi that had pulled up for him.

"Where to mate?" the driver asked as Eames made himself comfortable, deciding how best to make it to Paris in the time he had. Smiling smugly as he decided, he responded with: "St. Pancras, please, kind sir, I think I have a train seat to book."

As the taxi pulled out, Eames removed his phone once more, accessing the web and doing exactly what he had just stated, never one to be idle, even in the laziest of situations.


	2. Chapter 02: Bringing in the Architect

Feeling her eyes drooping more with every passing second, Ariadne sighed wearily and tossed her pencil aside, glancing at the numerous chunky text books and architectural drawings spread across her desk with dismay. Now was not a good time to be a student as various finals and exams were only weeks away, and the pressure was especially on for those who, like Ariadne, were in their final year. The prospect on entering into the big bad world was truly frightening after nearly four years of being prepared for it, with the thought of finding a job and a place to stay, as well as real life troubles such as rent and bills to pay even driving some to a near mental breakdown. Ariadne tried keeping her chin up, especially as she had several interviews lined up with some very lucrative firms, all thanks to her professor Miles who had always believed in her. It was that however that drove her to pulling all-nighters, spending her every spare moment in the university library and surviving on coffee; she was terrified of letting everyone, and Miles in particular, down after everything he had done for her... And the secrets he inadvertently trusted her with.

Placing her head in her hands, Ariadne reached over to the plastic coffee cup and went to take a drink when she realised it was empty. Groaning audibly, she took aim and threw it into the bin only inches away from her desk and missed.

"I need a break..." she muttered to herself, pushing her chair back and stretching, deciding then to go to bed and catch a few hours before class the next day.

Trudging over to her bed, she flopped down and allowed her eyes to close when she heard an indistinct vibrating somewhere to her right. Groping around her bedside table, she grabbed her mobile and reluctantly pulled it towards her, hoping and praying that she hadn't accidentally been studying all night again, and that it was now time for her to get up. Flipping it open, she opened her blurry eyes and saw that she'd had a missed call... Seeing who the caller was had an instant sobering effect, more so than the black coffees that she'd been downing recently, and she immediately sat bolt upright in bed. The word 'Art' stared back at her like some beautiful, fascinating painting that she couldn't force herself to look away from, and her fingers shook violently as she pressed the call back button. Pressing her lips together in a fine line as it started ringing on the other end, she contemplated what a phone call from Arthur could have meant, but dismissed it and came to the conclusion that it didn't matter, nor did she care. She had been working herself to the point of collapse for months, and had only moments ago wished for a break, and now she was being presented with what she could only assume was an incredible opportunity. It was fate.

Someone on the other end picked up with a simple 'Hello' and Ari felt her heart skip a beat.

"Arthur? It's Ari... Sorry I missed your call, I've been kinda busy..." she trailed off when she realised that she would have babbled inane nonsense for five minutes if she hadn't stopped herself.

Hearing his phone ring as he held the steering wheel, navigating through early traffic, Arthur pressed a switch by the dashboard and the call connected to a small earpiece he wore. Greeting the caller he smiled to himself as he heard the reply, slightly concerned at how distracted and worn she sounded but that wasn't his business, at least not yet. Still, he couldn't deny it was good to hear her voice. Whether that was purely because she was such a brilliant architect and he needed one at that moment, or for other reasons as well, Arthur wasn't going to speculate.

"No problem, glad to hear you're keeping up" he replied as his car slid ahead of another. "Eames and I are on our way to you, we have a job to discuss. We should be there in time for dinner if you're free…."

Arthur tailed off, waiting of course for a reply but also allowing a very small portion of his brain to wander, wondering what the response would be but also wondering what would have happened if he'd asked Ariadne to dinner at any time in the many past days, without a job to offer.

Hearing Arthur on the other end of the phone felt like a refreshing blast of ice cold water first thing in the morning; as well as being a shock, it was also what she needed. Drawing her legs under her, she checked her bedside clock before carelessly tossing it to the end of her bed. It was 3:45am, which left her enough time to get approximately four hours sleep if the conversation with Arthur didn't last long, which she doubted it would – 'Business as usual' with him usually meant being as quick, quiet and discreet as possible when it came to all forms of communication.

"Uh yeah, I'm free, definitely, sure!" she chimed before mentally kicking herself. It was one thing to appear too eager, but it was quite another to sound like a sixteen year old high schooler going on her first date.

"But yeah, I'll be there... Where and what time?" she asked, willing the furious thudding of her heart to slow down as she was positive Arthur could probably hear it.

Pleased to hear Ariadne sound enthusiastic, Arthur nodded, even though she couldn't see, pleased also that the job was already starting to shape up. After all he only had about 18 hours to finalise the first details. Pulling into the parking lot of the airport, Arthur's attention was only superficially on the cars ahead, his mind focused on the job instead.

"Glad to hear it. You can meet us in the restaurant of the Hotel de Vendrome, seven-thirty this evening with Mr Eames. When I last spoke to Miles he said you'd been coming up with some interesting designs, too, might be worth bringing a few along as well. And Cobb sends his best but it's just the three of us so far."

The instant Arthur told her the location of the dinner, Ari's mind instantly brought forth an image of the only item of clothing that would be deemed suitable for such an upper-class, sophisticated restaurant. It was a little black dress that clung to her every curve in just the right way, as well as being slashed down the front to the point of being borderline inappropriate. She had to admit, the thought of her turning up in it and feeling good about herself for the first time in months was enough to make her smile... The fact that it may draw some attention was just a bonus.

She was slightly surprised to hear that Miles and Arthur had been keeping in touch – After their last venture, she assumed that jobs like this were very cloak and dagger, in that it was all on a very need-to-know basis. Although, she had to admit that the thought of Miles finding her work interesting was somewhat complimentary as he was pretty much a legend in the field. It lifted her spirits almost as much as her current conversation with Arthur was doing.

"Really? Yeah, I can do that sure. And I'll be there..." she trailed off at the mention of Cobb, feeling somewhat disappointed that he wasn't going to be there, not that she was surprised. After years of living in his own personal purgatory, he had finally gotten what he wanted; to return home to his children. Quite frankly, she would have thought him stupid to risk everything he'd worked so hard for should he have decided to join them.

"And uh, tell him that... You know what, never mind, I'm glad to hear he's doing well," there was a brief pause in which she felt a yawn coming on. "But I have to go – It's pretty late and I have class, but I'll see you guys tomorrow... Goodbye Arthur," she said before disconnecting the call.

Biting her bottom lip, she stared at her phone for what felt like hours before putting it back on her bedside table. She suddenly felt an overwhelming tiredness that couldn't be ignored, so once again fell back against her bed, and this time was in a deep sleep within minutes.

"Goodbye Ariadne" Arthur replied as he heard the dial tone cut in, feeling a sense of satisfaction that the team was coming together with relative ease. Parking up, he made his way into the airport and, after the usual wait, found himself reclining into his plane seat, his eyes closing to make use of the time and catch up on a night's sleep he hadn't yet had the chance to start.


	3. Chapter 03: Hotel Rendezvous

Having already agreed to a brief breakfast in Paris with Miles, who'd got involved via a conversation with Cobb after the hint that his best student might soon be persuaded to go AWOL, Arthur was amused to be accused of similarities between himself and the man's son in law but there was little he could do to reassure the older man and there was little Miles could do to stop him. Arthur suspected there wasn't much Miles really wanted to do either, the work might be dangerous but they both knew what the advantages were and only someone who'd never tried dream work could truly resist the pull of it. Once you were in you either became scared off, failed or never stopped until one of the other two happened. Arthur didn't even believe Cobb would be out for long. He deserved a few months or years with his children but once the memory of Mal faded to an ache it would call him back again.

After a day of calls and preliminary work, feeling oddly incomplete without Cobb looking over his shoulder impatiently, Arthur stood in front of the mirror checking his change of suit, white shirt perfectly pressed beneath a mid-grey set of trousers, jacket and waistcoat, black shoes polished well enough to pass any army inspection. There had been no point going to find Eames upon his arrival, the other man would have checked in as quickly as possible then probably dashed out to find the nearest bar which offered a card game. Making his way to the bar next to the restaurant, Arthur settled into a leather armchair with his glass and a notebook and pen, already starting to jot down ideas and decisions as the clock ticked over to seven.

After paying the taxi driver the money needed for transport and receiving his ticket from the machine, Eames made his way to the ticket barrier, deciding that maybe he should have a shower when he arrived at the pre-arranged hotel. Past the gate and after having a brief exchange with the guardsman unusually place there, he boarded the train, taking a seat in the currently empty coach and allowing himself time to relax, to let loose.

He wondered what the new job was going to be, how many of the team there could be and whether he'd liked them. At least Arthur was on board, and hopefully Ariadne was too – he smiled to himself as his thoughts wandered to his favourite want-to-couple and the things he could do both to, and for, them in this delicate time within their possible-relationship. Reclining back in the seat, he reflected on how good Ari had been on the last job, and how she had eyes for Arthur. The man had seen too, but his emotions were sometimes so hidden that it was hard to tell if he had reciprocated the feelings or not. Heck, it was hard enough to see in Arthur's eyes whether the man liked _him_ or not, at least Eames knew the answer to that.

Setting back and closing his eyes, Eames allowed his mind to slip into a more subconscious level, always suspicious of anyone near him as he sensed someone opposite, but didn't open his eyes. Even when the train started to move he remained in a dozed position, and only really opened his lids when he felt the coach start to slow down and heard the announcement of their arrival at Gare du Nord. Sitting up, looking over at the brunette woman in front of him, reading a book of some importance, Eames shrugged to himself, knowing that he had other things to think about than seduce yet another lady.

Exiting the train when it was safe to do so and hailing yet another taxi, it wasn't long until he found himself at the Hotel de Vendome. Called to the reception as he walked by, it took very little to inform the woman behind the counter that a reservation had been made for himself and that a friend of his would be waiting. Upon inspection, the receptionist informed Eames that said friend had in fact made his way into the restaurant. Thanking the big busted beauty, giving her a well-informed wink for benefits, Eames diverted himself in the direction of the restaurant, finding it surprisingly easy to locate his colleague.

The day had not started well for Ariadne; having slept through her alarm, she'd missed her first two classes and had to rush to make her third, which was unfortunate for her as it was Miles' class. He pulled her aside after, once everyone had dispersed, and gave her the 'You're working yourself to near collapse' speech which she could now recite word for word after hearing it from numerous other people. Changing the subject, she moved onto the possibility of another job with Arthur, and was surprised to find that he simply smiled. Not revealing anything, he shoved piles of papers into his briefcase before excusing himself, saying that he had matters to see to and meetings to attend.  
She left wondering if he either knew something, or knew nothing and didn't want to admit it; either way, he seemed to almost encourage her to accept the position with his knowing smile. Shrugging it off, she told herself not to think about it for the rest of the day, which passed by her in a blur as all she could think about was the dinner later on that evening.

Returning to her room, she dumped her bag on the floor and passed by her cluttered desk without a second glance and started getting ready, having already pulled out everything she'd need while on her lunch break. Stepping out of the shower and into the skin-tight dress, she spent time making her hair look wavy in a 'casual but sexy' way before carefully applying her make up. Glancing in the full length mirror in the corner of her room, she couldn't help but smile at the virtually unrecognisable reflection before pulling on a simple diamond necklace, purple velour four inch heels and grabbing her purple quilted Chanel bag. Checking the time, she grabbed her coat and went to head out of the door when she stopped and wondered if she'd forgotten something. Laughing, she shook her head and closed the door behind her before rushing through vast corridors of her halls of residence, even eliciting some wolf whistles as she darted by. A taxi was already waiting for her when she ran outside, and she hopped in, giving the driver the name of the hotel before settling back and staring awe struck out of the window at the passing streets of Paris.

Arriving at the hotel twenty minutes later, she paid the driver and took a deep breath before heading inside. Feeling suddenly very nervous, she struggled to pull her coat off when the maitre d offered to take it and wobbled for a few steps when he went to show her to her table. On the seemingly endless trek to the table, she glanced around and hoped nobody was watching as she readjusted the hem of her dress; she may not have had long legs, but what little she did have she wanted to show off on what would probably be one of the only nights out like this she get over the next few months.

Finally the table came into view, as did Arthur and Eames, and she felt her heart flutter as she glanced from one to the other, realising with a contented sigh that neither had changed. Arthur as always was in a crisp suit with matching waistcoat... And Eames was just Eames. Eventually both men looked up and noticed her approaching, and for a moment simply stared open mouthed before getting to their feet, smiling at her as the maitre d eventually walked away. The smile turning into a smirk, Eames approached her first and immediately wrapped her in an overly welcoming hug.

"Ariadne! You look gorgeous!" he exclaimed in his alluring English drawl before pulling back and kissing her on each cheek. Chuckling, she grinned widely and took in his appearance before responding.

"Thank you Eames... And you look... It's lovely to see you," she said before pulling away and turning her attention to stony- faced Arthur, who paused for a beat before reaching out and pulling her in for an awkward, very temporary hug.

"Arthur... It's so good to see you, I'm really glad you called," she said as he pulled away.

"Good to see you too," he began, taking a minute to continue; "Hope Miles hasn't been working you too hard. We need an architect and I don't know anyone better. Would you like to sit?" he offered just as Eames pulled out a chair and indicated for her to sit down with a sly smile.

"Thank you Eames... Ever the gentleman," she said laughing as they all sat down.

"So... What've you got lined up?" she asked Arthur.


	4. Chapter 04: Explaining the Job

Letting her question hang for a moment, as he saw a waitress approaching, Arthur waited until the Frenchwoman had handed menus to each of them and taken their drinks order before replying, addressing both of them.

"Saito spoke to Cobb a couple of days ago, wanting to know if he was still working. As Cobb's staying Stateside for the time being he asked for me. A close friend of his, Jirou Miyazaki, the owner of one of China's biggest animation conglomerates, needs a job doing, not an extraction but not exactly an inception either, more a deception. His daughter has been accused of the murder of two American tourists and is being refused bail until the trial."

"Saito is certain there's no truth in it, but Haru Miyazaki has ruffled a few feathers in her time, using her father's connections to advance some sort of freedom movement against the republic. The prison she's been transferred to has been rumoured to have more than its fair share of inmate suicides and Saito and Jirou are convinced it's a smokescreen for the government to 'deal' with their problems without attracting international attention and that once the appeals process is finished, in four or five months at most, that she'll become another statistic. They can't rely on getting her released the legal way so Saito suggested we….."

"Je voudrais le pâté et puis le poisson avec le risotto s'il vous plait" Arthur suddenly broke off smoothly as the waitress hovered back beside their table.

"Saito suggests what?" Eames asked, once all three had given down their meals, leaning closer, "Cos I have an idea regarding placing the blame, if you will, away from Haru… it's not difficult to do but requires recreating a few places, making something convincing for the 'mark'. Of course, to do this the mark must be guilty of something; I'm not one for placing a perfectly innocent human being behind bars for the rest of their lives… honestly." He leaned back once more, placing one leg above the other as he looked to the two, fiddling with his bread roll as he did so.

More interested in the contemplation happening in Ariadne's silence, hoping they'd still have an architect on the team by the end of the meal, Arthur's attention was nonetheless drawn back to the budding plans as Eames started to delve into specifics. As the forger leant back, Arthur followed suit, briefly looking down to his notes before letting his eyes drift between Eames and Ari.

"Saito's first idea was an extraction on one of the judges handling the string of appeals, find something we could use to either bribe him or persuade him and sway the result but that's only what Jirou wanted, the quickest result possible. Saito knew that wouldn't be anywhere near reliable enough, convincing a well-placed judge to go against the government would be harder than the Fischer job and then all they'd have to do would be replace him and we'd be forced to start again."

"You and your estranged moral code have a point Eames, finding someone who can be convinced to admit to the murders would be far neater, that's why we need a good forgery. Even without ethics, someone who deserves the conviction will be easier to convince and easier to rely on. Still, unless we're prepared to hope for a very large coincidence we'll still be ensuring someone innocent of that particular crime is convicted of it while the actual murderer is almost guaranteed freedom. If we're not all a hundred percent sure we can work with that we need to make alternate plans now."

Arthur stopped and his gaze settled on Ariadne's face. After all, although Eames had his limits, as Arthur did, they'd both hurt, wronged, maimed, and killed people before. You could reassure yourself forever that it was self-defence, self-preservation but it still came with the territory. Ariadne however hadn't asked to be involved in the shadier side; if she wanted to walk away Arthur would have no second thoughts about letting her.

Listening carefully to what Arthur was saying, Ari found herself gradually leaning back in her chair more and more until she was sat up straight and stiff enough to make an army drill sergeant proud. Their previous job had been to plant a thought in someone's mind in order to coerce him to break up his father's company before it (as Saito had put it) had taken over the world. Everything that could have gone wrong did, but in the end they successfully completed the job, and Ari had come out of it with a clear conscience and a big pay cheque. This however was different – what Arthur was suggesting was ensuring that an innocent man or woman was sent to jail for a crime they didn't commit, and then to just walk away with money in their pockets as if nothing had happened.

She had been waiting almost too eagerly for a phone call from Cobb or Arthur again after the Fischer job, and now that an opportunity had arisen, she wasn't sure what she thought as her moral compass was veering dangerously towards 'walk away'. It was then that Eames put forth his ideas, one of which made Ari feel a bit more at ease about the situation, but still on edge nonetheless. Would she feel better if someone guilty of _a_ crime, but not the one Haru Miyazaki was being accused of, was sent down instead? She wasn't sure, but she knew she had to think fast as all eyes were on her now; it was either say no, get up and head back to her dorm and mountain of work, or say yes and dive head first into another 'once in a lifetime' opportunity.

Pressing her lips together in a fine line, she drummed her fingers against her leg and looked from Arthur to Eames, feeling herself almost shrink under their expectant gaze. Her eyes locked with Arthur, and she found almost lost in the endless pools of brown. Blinking rapidly and looking away, she made her decision there and then.

"I can do it," she said, a small smile playing at her lips as she fell back into a more relaxed posture and taking a sip of her white wine.

Still looking at her, Arthur's expression become serious as he asked "Are you sure?"

Smiling at him self-assuredly, she nodded. "Yes, I'm sure... I can do this..." she paused briefly, thinking about how her final exams were looming ever closer "So, what are we thinking time-wise for the preparations?" she asked trying to appear casual.

Realising Ariadne was looking at him, Arthur avoiding eye contact, Eames felt he had explain himself, "Well, not drugs… not any more anyway… and rock's not exactly my-you know what, never mind, we'll talk about it another time." Looking awkwardly now to Arthur, Eames reiterated the question Ari had asked, "So, when are we thinking of doing this thing?"

Satisfied as Ariadne insisted for a second time upon her readiness for the job in hand, knowing it must be at least a little unnerving to her but knowing he had no right or place to interfere with her decisions, Arthur made his decision – the more solid the arrangements became the better he felt about organising this.

"We can do the initial prep either here or over there but we need to be in Shanghai within a fortnight at most, the murders occurred in one of the tourist districts there so we'll have to stage the job nearby and Ariadne will need time to get to know the scenery. However well we pick the location it'll have to be one hell of a maze so the details need to be perfect. We're not going any deeper than two levels but we'll probably need to use at least one or two forgeries per level so we need enough time for research too. The job needs to be finished in four months, just in case the appeals go quickly but once we get the details set and the layouts started we can decide on better timings."

Getting down to even more pressing arrangements, Arthur once again looked from the two of them to solely the woman opposite him with mild concern. Miles hadn't confided much to him at all, they weren't exactly close friends, or even close acquaintances but, reading between the lines, Arthur had managed to work out that although Ari was excelling in her work, a lot was already being asked of her and now here they were asking yet more of her.

"Ariadne, once we get started you can't stay at your dorms, not when we already _know _you'll be going under for this one, it won't be safe enough. Eames and I can sort out the loose ends, help get your cover story set up, but you're nearly at the end of your course, how big is your workload, how much are you committed to in the coming weeks?"

"I uh... It's not too bad I guess; I have the majority of it covered." Despite her best efforts not to appear nervous, Ari found her hand automatically flying to the nape of her neck before rubbing it sheepishly. "I've been studying a lot recently, so I think that missing a few weeks wouldn't hurt..." she trailed off, wondering whether she should admit that she had her finals coming up, or keep quiet about it.

Not looking up into anyone's eyes, she drummed her fingers on her leg again – an annoying little quirk that had seen her caught out over many a lie before in the past. Sighing inwardly, she decided to admit the truth and see where it got her. "... But my finals are in six weeks, which admittedly could be a problem, but I'm sure that Miles could maybe help me work my way around it!" she added hastily, not wanting to suddenly find herself in a taxi back home…


	5. Chapter 05: Post-Dinner Conversations

Listening to Ariadne hesitatingly admit that she had finals she couldn't get away from which would be smack bang in the middle of the preparation for the job, Arthur stayed deliberately silent, his mind automatically contemplating, turning the admission into nothing more than a problem which had to be ended with one of the available solutions. Although he liked Ari, Arthur knew privately that if she'd been easily replaceable he'd have had no problem in telling her she wouldn't be involved and finding someone instead, offering her a place in the next mission instead. But an architect that could design well in the dream world was hard enough to find, let alone one that they could trust, and when that person was as naturally talented as Ari there would be no question of replacing her unless they absolutely had to. Part of Arthur's brain had already been running through security arrangements to keep her safe, knowing how valuable she was.

Still, having Eames attempt to play the knight in shining armour – "I'm sure we can work our way around that, darling, wont we Arthur?" the man had smugly stated – was irritating to say the least. After all, although Ariadne more than deserved her degree, what exactly was she going to do with it? It wasn't necessary in their line of work and, after seeing what their world offered, was she really going to choose life in a corporate office, designing blocks of yet more offices every day?

Returning a cold glance to Eames' thinly veiled but impotent threat, Arthur nevertheless had to agree with the sentiment contained. It was very unlikely that Ari would agree to simply drop her studies for now, especially when she'd only just been introduced to the job, and her tenacious attitude was what they needed, he hardly wanted her to get rid of it. There'd be plenty more time to discuss the matter anyway.

"Of course" he nodded, looking at Ariadne again and continuing dryly, "At least Miles will understand and may be able to help. It's not as if you won't be practising what you've learnt after all. If you need to fly back for exams we'll just have to work around it. As long as you're sure you can balance both. We're going to need the layouts to be perfect, we don't want anything unexpected in the dream."

"But we can start making plans in the morning, "Arthur couldn't help adding sincerely. "No point spoiling dinner. Afterwards I'll book you a room here Ariadne and take you back to pack, we can sort further arrangements tomorrow."

Ari felt all of her doubts and fears fade to nothing as Arthur explained that they could work around her finals, and she couldn't help but feel somewhat flattered by the lengths he and Eames were willing to go to keep her as their architect. It was an incredible honour to have been asked to take part in something as incredible and awe inspiring as dream sharing; the first time it had been a reality altering, earth shattering experience that she never thought she'd live to see again... And now here it was being offered to her once more. Four years of hard work and study meant a lot to her of course, especially after everything she went through to win her place at the university; but in that moment in time, she honestly believed she'd give it up in a heartbeat if it meant a lifetime of different jobs... Whether Arthur or Eames factored into that vision was beside the point as it was all like a giant thrill ride with the added satisfaction of knowing that you really contributed something to it all.

"Wow, thanks, I, I mean you don't have to do that of course, but yeah... I'd really appreciate it," she said smiling at each of them in turn before taking a sip of her wine, temporarily savouring the taste of what she could only assume was one of the more expensive kinds before turning her attention back to the conversation.

The rest of the dinner went pleasantly as the topics of conversation became lighter, with Eames talking rather animatedly about what he'd been doing in his absence, eliciting a groan or horrified gasp from Ari at the appropriate moments. At one point she even came close to spitting out a mouthful of wine, which wasn't the thing to be done in a very hoity-toity French restaurant. Arthur even managed a smile or two throughout the proceedings, which warmed Ari to her core to see as she believed it wasn't something he did often. He was a mystery wrapped in an enigma, topped off with a coating of cold and distant, and Ari felt that the more she spoke to him, the less she knew.

Shrugging it off as he recalled what he'd been doing since the Fischer job; she listened intently, trying to listen for any signs of some kind of a life outside of his work. He briefly mentioned the words 'time off' but never went any further and Ari chuckled to herself as she wondered if he even knew what the words meant. However, in comparison to what she'd been doing for the last few months, it sounded like Arthur, and especially Eames, had been having the time of their lives.

After dinner had finished, they all hung around for a while longer, nursing what was left over of their drinks, much to the distaste of the staff, not that any of them cared. Getting up, Ari watched out of the corner of her eye as Arthur casually paid the bill before heading to the exit, while behind them, Eames sauntered over to the bar. Getting their coats and thanking the maitre d, both headed outside, only for Arthur to turn left and indicate her to follow. Passing by a line of very flash and expensive looking cars, Ari wondered which one was Arthur's when he stopped beside a simple looking silver saloon. Glancing at it, she then looked over at Arthur in his smart, flawless suit before looking back at the car again. It was then that she realised that part of being an assembled team so secret that technically they did not exist also included being as discreet and incognito as possible, so a normal mode of transport was probably the best idea.

Smiling appreciatively when Arthur opened the door for her, she ducked into the car saying "And they say chivalry is dead!" A few minutes later they were cruising along the picturesque Parisian streets in silence, with Ari glancing at Arthur every now and then with a small smile out of politeness. She glanced at the stereo and considered turning that on but decided against it moments before she could reach over to turn it on.

Racking her mind for something to talk about, she wondered briefly if she should ask about Cobb – It seemed like a perfectly valid thing to do considering she genuinely was interested in how he was doing – so she did, with a casual air of interest, recoiling slightly as her voice in the silent car almost sounded like an air horn

"He's okay" Arthur replied, to break the silence, but she deserved more than that. "Obviously it wasn't easy going back but he's with Phillippa and James again so all three of them can finally move forward." Stopping again for a moment while he navigated the roads towards Ariadne's dorm, Arthur then continued. "He's not out completely, he's doing a little 'consultancy' work, especially now he's back on the legal side, but I don't know when he'll consider going under again, the past has taken the shine off it somewhat. And you? Looking forward to another job? I know Eames would say yes to almost anything if it involved money, forgery and dreaming but by all accounts you're on the verge of being set for life, career wise. I know you can do the job and I believe you want to, but is this a distraction from normal life or a temptation away from it? It's not up to me to judge either way, as long as you know which. The more you do the harder it gets to remember what you expected from your life before."

Arthur fell back to silence, not having intended to make any attempt, at least yet, to investigate Ariadne's feelings about their work but having fallen into doing so anyway, unable or plain unwilling to resist. Ari on the other hand was both surprised and touched by his concern, but she didn't appreciate his poking into her personal life when he had an intricately designed security system guarding his own.

"I can't even answer that question for myself yet, let alone other people," she began, choosing her words carefully, trying not to sound irritated. "I take it you speak from experience?" she queried, regarding his final statement. "I mean, it's like you and Cobb both said when you first met me... You knew that I'd be back; knew that there was no way I'd be able to turn it down. I said to Cobb in our first dream sharing session – It's like pure creation. I've spent years of my life carefully planning things out and putting them onto paper... But to be able to go into your dream and just have it right there in front of you is... It's indescribable, but you probably know that already right? You speak about all the jobs you've done as if they were just... Jobs. But to me it's still fresh and new and breath-taking and awe inspiring and all kind of other amazing. I'm not making any definitive decisions, and I don't need people pushing me towards one thanks," she said, stopping herself before she could go any further as she felt something boil under the surface.

It's not what he said that bothered her; it was the fact that he felt he could suddenly turn around and question her in the manner of a father or older brother. She'd worked her entire life to get where she was now, and the last thing she needed to do was take two steps back. Besides, with the way he thought, the Miyazaki case would just be another job to him – Business was business.


	6. Chapter 06: Eames' Latest Flirt

Inclined to leave the responsibilities of Ariadne's education to the woman herself and Arthur, Eames had sat back, looking to the other guests, immediately noting body language and vocal patterns as he heard snippets of conversation in strong French tongues. Very quickly, though, a waiter brought over their meals, Eames happy to receive his pork chop, having only eaten a sandwich on the journey from Gare du Nord. Soon the conversation around the team's table turned more personal, Ariadne talking of the hardship of her course, Arthur passing off a few words about his own unimaginable private life and Eames himself reeling off a few recent exploits in England.

With little interest to hear what the other two thought of his personal life, Eames couldn't help looking at the most recent newcomer to the restaurant. She appeared to be standing to leave, or excuse herself to the bathroom, and Eames couldn't help watching her figure, biting his lip as Ari called him back to the conversation, Arthur announcing it was time to leave, that he was taking the student back to her dorm to collect a few items, informing the Forger that he could retire to the room or do as he pleased. Eames smirked as he watched the pair then leave, getting up himself and heading in the bar area, not hesitating to order a local beer from the tender before sitting in the classic slumped position on a stool by the counter, his mind now racing, calculating what he had recently been told and forming scenarios –

Looking up, the newcomer with the body was smiling at him, she had asked something in French, his mind racing to catch up as she took the empty seat next to him. Unable to not look her up and down, Eames muttered "Bien, bonjour magnifique" smiling at her as he added more loudly, "Je parle en effet anglais, peux ne jamais contourner cette substance étrangère de langue…" As she responded, leaning into him, surprising Eames with her confidence, the man couldn't help but immediately think he'd scored big time – and he hadn't instigated it!

"Ah, you are British?" She responded with a slight French accent, marvelling at him. "I am French on my mother's side, but I have a father who is British." she added, lowering her eyes.

Wanting to move the introduction into an actual conversation, he asked in English, "My name's Eames, may I enquire as to yours?"

"Marguerite – Marguerite Collins," she added, taking a perch on the stall next to him. "Eames – is that your last name or your first?" she added, smiling at him. "It sounds like a last name to me. Garcon!" She suddenly called out to the bartender as he passed by, "I'll have a glass of whatever he's having" she smiled again at Eames.

Eames raised a curious eyebrow at her strong personality as he turned to her and said, "It is indeed my last, but I prefer not to be called by my first name – ruins the allure, if you will."

"Ah, well, Eames is a fine name, and I bet your first name is just as fine," Marguerite told him as the bartender filled up a glass for her. "I saw you earlier in the restaurant with your friends," Marguerite continued to him as the bartender went away to fill other orders. "It looked like you three were having fun," she added as she looked away from him for a moment. "I was alone, as you might have noticed." She added, glumly; "I had a bit of a falling-out with my last boyfriend."

She looked back at Eames. "What do you do?" She asked, the hint of wanted to just let loose in her tone; the perfect opportunity for the man as she asked yet another question, one which Eames didn't need to think of an answer for…

"I'm an painter, darling, I create and sell masterpieces, can you not tell by my… creative face?" he tried not to wince at this, knowing as he said it that it sounded pathetic, but at least Marguerite would buy the whole artist-story. Moving his stool closer to her, hoping that Arthur and Ariadne would be held up for a long while on the journey to, and from, Ari's dorm, Eames waited for a response before he continued;

"Yes, I can see it in your pretty face," Marguerite said, leaning towards him. "You have the soul of an artist in those eyes, Eames, behind that rugged exterior. You remind me of Van Gogh." She leaned away from him. "Paris is a wonderful place for painters, Monsieur Eames; they find their greatest inspiration here. That is why Paris is famous all the world over."

It was official: Eames had scored, and big time considering how gorgeous Marguerite was. Eames resisted a boyish grin as he changed tact, asking passionately: "And what do you do, Miss Collins? No, don't tell me, you're a model, I bet… No?"

"I'm afraid not, Monsieur Eames," she replied, momentarily looking away as she informed him; "I am a consultant with the Black Swan Public Relations firm providing my services to non-profit organizations, specifically art museums, here in the Paris area. I have several reporters staying upstairs for an opening tomorrow, and after we had a discussion concerning the museum and its new artwork, I came down here to eat."

Eames smirked, not really caring too much for her words, downing his second glass as he looked her up and down once more, but this time through drink-clouded eyes. Yes, he could sober up in seconds if he wanted to, and when he got her into bed he definitely would – always have sex when sober, he had always said… unless the broad was unattractive, and that had happened a few time. "I hope I'm not boring you too much, Monsieur Eames." Marguerite's words dragged Eames back, "The food is nice, but you know, it is not like home cooking."

"Home cooking can be good if you _can_ cook" Eames muttered seductively, making food-talk sound terribly sexy, "Luckily for me I can, as long as there's a microwave involved" this time he winked; causing her to blush.

"Are you staying here in this hotel?" she asked, sounding like she was getting down to the business he wanted, "or are you residing somewhere else?"

"Yes" he replied smoothly, "I have a room booked in this very hotel, maybe it's near yours?" he was in deep now, he had to chance it.

"We shall have to see," Marguerite replied as the bartender came over with another glass of beer. She took a sip, Eames taking her silence for thought to which he didn't press – he had planted the seeds, all she needed to do was let them grow. Finally Marguerite put the beer down. "I might be willing to follow you up to your room," she giggling at him, "If you want me to, but I have to be sure that you are not bad – are you bad, Monsieur Eames? Is there anything I should know about you that you are not telling me?" She dropped her voice low, asking more soberly, "Should I be aware of you?"

"Of course you should be aware of me…" Eames muttered after a pause, only into Marguerite's ear though now, aware indeed at how dangerous he could be, how at this very moment he was taking in every detail of her, her voice, her looks, her dress, how she moved… everything. He always needed new personas within the dream world, sometimes to seduce the target, other times to act as victim, and Marguerite was as good as anyone else. Leaning back and smiling sultrily, Eames continued, "But it's nothing for you to worry about, darling, I don't have a criminal record if that's what you want to know." Taking the final dregs of his third beer, Eames added only to himself 'well, not in this country…'

Getting off the stall, knowing there was little else he could do to convince her – it was up to Marguerite now – and passing over some change for the beers, Eames muttered into Marguerite's ear: "Just let me freshen up and I'll see you in a minute, I'll be in the Lobby, just for you…" Leaning down and pecking her forehead with a kiss, Eames turned and left the bar, knowing the foreplay was working. He made his way to the Lobby immediately, wandering over to the set of ruby red faux-leather comfy chairs that faced the exit of the bar/restaurant, looking over expectantly.

A voice from behind alerted the Forger to the return of his colleagues, turning in his chair, he looked over. "Arthur" he called, nodding as the man looked around to him, "Ariadne. Welcome back. Sharing a room are we?" he winked at the pair.


	7. Chapter 07: Return from Ariadne's Dorm

Ariadne sounded irate as she finished her brief speech, refusing by the sound of it to be drawn into discussing her thoughts about the future. Arthur knew it would be only too easy to retreat within himself, leave Ari to whatever impression she wanted to make of him, and to the job, insist only that she did what she was expected as a part of the team. But professionally that carried the unacceptable risk of losing or at least annoying a very good, and therefore rare, architect and personally was plain uncomfortable. Ariadne, by need but also by nature, had always been very open and honest with Arthur and he felt she deserved that repaid. At least she'd revealed she was still interested in the dream world, still filled with wonder by it, which he hoped she'd never lose.

"I speak from a _lot_ of experience" Arthur replied, not to boast but simply in agreement with Ariadne. Although there was no way he'd go back now or consider giving up the dream life just now, Arthur didn't feel that all the experience he had was necessarily something to enjoy or be proud of, it was just how his life had been up to now. If he could go back perhaps he'd change the decisions he'd made that had led to him leading this team, but he couldn't go back so he never answered that question for himself.

Keeping his eyes on the road, providing a useful distraction from having to watch Ariadne's reaction, Arthur kept speaking honestly. "And although I'm realistic about the work we do, I'm not too old or jaded just yet I can assure you. No matter how many jobs I've done I always feel exactly the same thrill every time I'm in the middle of one. I can't imagine anyone going under without that. For you it's pure creation but you're not the only one. For Cobb it was always trying something new, finding out the limits only to push them as hard as he could, for Eames it's beating the odds every time, cheating the game, for me it's the possibilities. I can define every aspect of the job, take anything unexpected as it comes, then leave, draw a line under everything that was done and walk away. When do you get to do that in real life?"

With a moment's pause he continued again. "Just because you don't lose sight of the advantages doesn't mean you have to ignore the downsides though. And with every job you learn more and more about them, and try not to make the same mistakes again, and try to stop pulling other people into them too." Arthur stopped himself before he got into anything too deep, noticing they were entering Ariadne's university neighbourhood and wouldn't have much longer chatting anyway.

Falling back to silence for a few minutes, Arthur finally pulled into a parking space and stopped the car. "Anyway, we're here." he added briefly.

As Arthur responded in an admirably calm and collected manner, Ari gazed intensely at him, taking in everything he said and processing it all carefully in her head. After a while he stopped talking and concentrated fully on the road once more, and Ari fell back against her seat and stared with glazed over eyes at the passing lights of Paris.

After what felt like hours, Arthur announced their arrival and Ari snapped out of her reverie, sitting bolt upright and staring at the ancient, picturesque buildings that served as the dormitories for the university. Looking over at him, she smiled, thanked him and told him that she'd be right back before unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the car. Marching off as fast as her high heels would allow, she was surprised to hear the sound of a car door closing not far behind her, turned around and was shocked to find Arthur standing a few feet away.

Placing a hand on her hip and cocking her head to the side, she raised an eyebrow and said "I don't need a chaperone."

"Neither did our last architect and we still haven't heard what happened to him. I'm not here to pry, I'll just wait by the door if you want," he replied simply.

Not expecting this as an answer, Ari simply stared at him before biting her bottom lip and muttering "Okay then."

Indicating for him to follow, they both marched in silence to one of the massive buildings that had been her home for the past four years, and slipped inside. After fifteen minutes of navigating stairs and numerous corridors, they eventually found themselves trudging along the corridor leading to Ari's dorm room. She was pleasantly surprised at how deserted the place seemed considering it was just after nine on a weeknight – Usually the place was crawling with various students sneaking into one another's rooms for drinking, parties and other not-so legal activities.

Breathing a silent sigh of relief when they came to her door, she fumbled around inside her bag for her keys when she heard a door open not too far from them, only to be immediately followed up with drunken wolf whistles and jeering. Freezing on the spot, Ari shook her head as a voice she recognised yelled "Ari, baby! You're breaking my heart, you always said it was gonna be me and you!"

Gripping her keys so hard her she feared they'd cut into her hand, she rammed them into the lock, feeling herself glow a scarlet red as she muttered angrily to herself before pushing the door open and ducking inside. Flicking on the light, she indicated for Arthur to follow and slammed the door behind him.

Wriggling out of her coat and tossing it onto her unmade bed, she dropped her bag where she stood, kicked off her shoes and immediately headed towards her wardrobe.

"Uh... Feel free to sit down," she began, glancing over her shoulder at the mess of her normally pristine room and flinched. "... But you could also stand if you wanted; you seem like the kinda guy who prefers to stand to be honest," she said chuckling before turning back to her open wardrobe and digging out her old overnight bag.

"I'm fine thanks," Arthur simply responded politely as he stared around her room.

Rushing towards her drawers, she hauled a few open, grabbed what she needed and threw them in before grabbing a change for herself just now. Spinning around, she dashed into the small en suite and pushed the door closed before peeling her dress off, tossing it aside and quickly pulling on plain jeans and a top. Grabbing what she needed from her bathroom, she emerged to find him staring at some of the paintings she had hanging on her wall.

"Nice artwork," he commented, looking from piece to piece before his eyes landed on her as she sat on the edge of her bed and pulled on trainers.

"What? Oh yeah, thanks... You can't live in Paris without an appreciation for fine art," she replied sounding distracted. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her coat, bag, and mobile at the last minute before turning to Arthur with a worn smile on her face. "I'm ready to go whenever you are," she said hauling her bag onto her shoulder.

"Let me take that" Arthur commented, extending his hand towards Ariadne's packed bag. She however shook her head, ever independent.

"Thanks, but it weighs nothing, I'll manage" she insisted, even stepping away from his effort to gently take the bag from her, like some silent competition in etiquette.

"Okay, let's get back to the hotel then, we can always come back if you need anything else before Singapore."

As Ari locked the door to her room, balancing everything she held, the overnight bag slipped from her shoulder to the floor, leaving Arthur free to catch it just before it hit, sweeping it over his own limb before she could object. Walking down the corridor they again neared the male who'd shouted a comment to Ariadne as they'd entered, Arthur fixing him with a cold stare as he opened his mouth to say something else. The man looked at him in confusion for a moment, obviously caught off guard and seemed to think better of whatever remark he'd chosen, leaving the walk back to the car peaceful, only a few snippets of conversation passing between the two of them.

Stopping to hold doors open for her, Ari felt her stubborn resolve melt away as she smiled and thanked him, shaking her head wearily as she passed. It wasn't that she was overly picky or a bra-burning feminist – It had more to do with the fact that her entire life she had been stubbornly independent, particularly for the last four years in which she'd had to rely solely on herself. Stemming from the fact that she had always been more of a 'daddy's girl', spending hours on end with him as a child playing and attending numerous sporting events, her father had always been a strong male role model. He had always taught her to be her own person and never feel the need to do as other people told her, or allow herself to be pushed into a certain direction in her life. She always felt she had her father to thank for her making the decision to go into architecture, especially after the back-breaking extra hours he put in at work to help pay for her living in Paris as a scholarship only paid for so much.

Eventually they reached the car and clambered in, not saying much as they drove back to the hotel, as Ari lying back in her seat and falling back into memory lane, smiling to herself as she remembered all the good times she spent with her friends and parents back home. Home; the word struck a real chord with Ari as she realised that she hadn't been there for over a year due to the commitments to her studies... And there was a possibility that the Miyazaki job could see that she never returned home again. The thought made her shudder, so turned to glance at Arthur who kept his eyes fixed on the road before him, and went to open her mouth before abruptly changing her mind. Did Arthur have a place he could call home, or did he live out of a lightly packed suitcase like Eames? Did he even have family or people he cared greatly about somewhere in the world? Thinking about it suddenly made her see the point man in a new light... One she wasn't going to divulge to anyone anytime soon.

Announcing their arrival at the hotel, Ari nodded and got out of the car, going to reach for her bag when she realised that Arthur already had it slung over his shoulder and was heading towards the entrance. Smiling despite herself, she trailed behind as they entered the lobby, with Arthur heading straight to the desk as she distracted herself with her phone.

On a normal day she would have allowed herself to become fascinated with the structure and design of the grand hotel, but tonight all she could think about was throwing herself upon one of the large, four poster beds and sleeping for a solid twelve hours. With what she, Arthur and Eames were about to embark on, she felt she deserved it.

Walking into the hotel again with Ari, relieved to have his work more or less over for the night, Arthur quickly arranged at reception to have another good room, ensuring for everyone's benefit that it was on his floor rather than Eames'. Turning back to the architect he saw the forger himself not far from them, Eames' stance and attitude instantly putting Arthur on guard, the man looking as if he was waiting for something. Arthur set his jaw, Cobb might have been more relaxed at times but he wasn't going to let Eames spend half the job on a cruise for easy lays.

"Eames" he called in stern greeting, letting out a small sigh as he listened to the man's response. "No" he replied. "On this job we'll be sleeping alone thank you, all of us" he added with a warning glance.

"And I never saw you as a father figure, Dad" the forger smirked as he rose, momentarily looking back into the bar and unable to find Marguerite. He sighed to himself, wondering where she had gone while admitting aloud, "Well, whatever you say anyway, looks like I may have just been stood-up, surprising as it is!"

Arthur stared back at him impassively. "Don't pick one with a brain next time then. This job's going to need many things, but you picking up souvenirs isn't on the list Eames. Now, let's go upstairs, we need to get started early tomorrow."

"Well, Arthur, I've never known such an order to be so..." Eames trailed off without finishing his smarmy sarcasm. "Actually, never-mind" he headed to the staircase he then looked back at Arthur "Coming, or do you want some 'private time'?"

Ignoring the forger, Arthur handed a room key to Ari. "You're in room 71, if you need anything use room service, or I'm in room 82. Eames is 124 – if you wake up in the night with a pressing urge to obtain fake banknotes…. or iron clothes, that is."


	8. Chapter 08: Sleep Ensues

While aimlessly browsing through the very few pictures she had on her phone, she heard the dulcet tones of Eames before she saw him sitting down next to her with a wink. Making her an offer she simply HAD to refuse, she rolled her eyes and pocketed her phone.

"Yeah sure, in your dr-" she started before realising what she was about to say so abruptly stopped herself. Thankfully Arthur chose that point to intervene, and there was a short and somewhat entertaining exchange between the pair before Arthur handed Ari her room key. "Thanks" she said as she stood up before moving quickly to snatch her back away from Arthur, grinning at him triumphantly as she slung it over her shoulder.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, but thank you nonetheless," she said turning to head towards the staircase, stopping just before she could head up.

"Goodnight… And try not cause too much of a scene between the both of you okay?" she chuckled before heading up the stairs without looking back to see if Arthur was following.

Eventually finding the right floor and then her room, she slipped the card in the door and trudged inside, tiredness hitting her so suddenly that she didn't even give herself time to be awed by the décor and simply marched over to the large four poster bed. Dumping her holdall next to the bed, she gave not a second thought to anything else as she flopped down on it and almost instantly fell into a deep sleep, not caring that it was only 9pm.

As Ariadne started up the stairs with one last parting comment, Arthur said within Eames' earshot;

"The less scenes then the better all round. I want to start at the warehouse early tomorrow so try to get _some_sleep"

"You know me, Arthur – all sleep and no play." Eames answered with a wink.

Arthur knew exactly what to expect from Eames and that wasn't it, still at least he was reliable in his habits, however low-brow they might be. "Good night Mr Eames" he replied blandly.

"Night love" came the typical departing reply.

Reaching the top of the stairs as Ari let herself into her room looking tired, Arthur walked past her door and saw the light under the door go off before he even reached his own room. Letting himself into his own bedroom, his eyes swept the room automatically, peering behind the bathroom door and below the bed before he even broke stride. It was second nature now, being careful about everything. Reassured once more, Arthur turned his attention to making a few last notes and preparations before showering and flicking on the TV, the light continuing to cast a low glow over the room even after he'd slipped into sleep.

Leaving the hotel in the crisp evening air, his thoughts returning to the conversation at the table, not caring for his apparent dump by Marguerite – he being used to being stood up, Eames considered his next port of call, wondering if he should return to the hotel and ask for more clothes yet or wait until he returned later. Checking his watch as he wandered past the many foreign shop signs, Eames was surprised to find it was only half past nine – having reset the device on the train ride over – and stopped in his tracks.

The smell of tobacco and the sound of drunken laughter alerted Eames to turn his head and look at the place to his left, recognizing a familiar bar he had visited on many occasions to this beautiful city, he couldn't help but smirk at the memories returning to him. Considering his next move, wondering why exactly he had left the hotel if it wasn't for _this_, the Forger nodded to himself taking the detour and pushing on the door to the place open and entering his mini-paradise.

Three hours, ten beers, three poker games and one shag later, Eames pulled out of bar, the floozy he had picked up pecking him on the cheek before departing in the direction of her house or hotel or wherever it was she was located, conversation not being too much of a priority in the back room of the place. Patting off his jacket as he turned back to the hotel, wondering for the first time why Arthur had chosen that particular location to start the new job, Eames was still lost in thought by the time he re-entered the lobby, only remembering at the last moment to actually ask for laundered clothes when he reached the staircase.

Creeping down the corridor back to his room, not bothering to check on either member of his team, sure that both would be asleep anyway at this hour, Eames slipped into his room, stripped to his bare skin then slipped into his bed. Barely aware of how tired he must have been.

* * *

Eames' eyes snapped open six hours later – checking his watch the minute his brain had caught up with his body – still feeling tired but knowing there was a reason to be awake at such an hour. Sighing as he slipped out of bed, he looked through weary eyes at a clean pile of freshly laundered clothes before stumbling into the bathroom, jumping straight into the shower for a proper post-sleep wakeup.

With clean body, teeth and clothes, and a slight trim of his stubble, a fresh Eames found his way back down in the reception, stopped by one of the staff to enquire of his breakfast plans and mentions of his 'two friends'. Not wanting to deal with any job at this time in the morning, Eames thanked the rather attractive male behind the counter before leaving once more; informing the man that he was going for some exterior breakfast and would be back within the hour, in case anyone asked.

And by anyone, he meant his fellow dreamers.


	9. Chapter 09: Ariadne's Punctual Arisal

After what felt like a few minutes of being a comatose like state, Ari's eyes fluttered open and she lifted her arm to glance at her watch, expecting it to be midnight at the latest. When she saw that it was in fact 5am, she felt her entire body spring to life as she sat bolt upright and rubbed her eyes, refusing to believe that what had felt like a powernap had in fact been a good night's sleep. When her watch still said 5am, she groaned audibly before flopping back down on the pillow, punching the covers underneath her in despair and still refusing to believe that she was wide awake at that time.

Her immediate instinct told her to close her eyes and sleep for another two or three hours as that's what she normally would have done had she been in her own bed, but she knew that, judging by the ready and alert state she was in, there was no chance of that happening. Springing off the bed, she grabbed her holdall and headed into the overly posh en suite, intending upon taking as long as she could in the shower and getting dressed since she had hours before anyone else would even wake up.

Having taken her time while showering and getting ready to head downstairs, Ari was dismayed to find that it was still only 5:45am and still dark outside, so flopped down on her bed and picked up the small notebook she always carried around with her. Flipping it open, she browsed through some of her sketches, inspecting each one carefully and frowning at some of the more informal, obscure ones she had done just after the Fischer job.

She'd started by re-creating the pendragon staircase, then doing it over and over, each time in a different and more complex way. Then she'd moved on to designing what she believed to be impassable, maze-like buildings of varying shapes and sizes that grew to be more twisted and creepy-looking as the insomnia she'd suffered from briefly took hold. Biting her bottom lip, she tore the pages out of her notebook and shredded them to minute pieces before tossing them into the bin in the corner of the room. Staring at it for a moment, she shuddered – Those sketches were ones she did not wish to share with anyone ever, not even Miles, and especially not Eames or Arthur.

Sighing wearily, she tossed the notebook into her bag before slinging it over her shoulder, having suddenly decided that she felt like a walk and a breath of fresh air. Slipping out of her room quietly, she headed downstairs, nodding politely to the few early morning stragglers who, like her, appeared very reluctant to be locking their doors behind them. Eventually she came to the reception and was greeted in an overly cheerful manner by the clerk on duty who informed her that breakfast had just started being served in the dining hall. Forcing a smile, she indicated that she was heading out but thanked her nonetheless before pushing her own way through the large double doors.

Stepping onto the pavement just outside the hotel, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, savouring the fresh morning air that gave her the little kick she needed to go from 'early morning gloom' to 'early morning cheer'. She then took a moment to admire the grey horizon that was now tinged with shades of pink and orange as the sun slowly started to rise and she smiled. No matter what time of day or night it was, Paris was breathtakingly beautiful, she told herself, even after four years of living there and exploring every one of its landmarks, and all the little hidden nooks and crannies that most tourists either didn't know about or took for granted – it all still never failed to amaze her.

Checking her watch, she realised that there and then would have been a good time to sneak off to her dorm and collect the rest of the stuff she needed – Not many of the students would be awake at this time, and she doubted that any of them had ever seen 6am before in their lives; that and getting her stuff now would mean less hassle for Arthur later, and in doing so giving them more time to discuss the job a bit more in depth and privately.

Hailing a passing taxi, she got in and settled for staring out of the window the entire journey as the driver didn't appear to be in the best spirits. Slipping him a little extra before he drove off, Ari headed inside her dorm, making sure to be as quiet as she could manage despite knowing that nobody would be awake yet. Walking into her room felt almost odd, despite the fact she'd only been away for a night, and she hovered for a moment to contemplate what it meant as she'd felt nothing like this before, even after returning from a two week visit to see her parents. Eventually she shrugged it off, dumped her bag on the un-made bed and started by tidying the place up; something she'd neglected to do for quite some time.

After returning the room to its former neat and pristine state, she ducked under her bed and pulled out the wheeled suitcase she normally kept for her jaunts back to America and started throwing things in. She was careful not to pack too much as she knew that she'd be able to wash her clothes while away, as well as buy more if need be, and moved into the bathroom to see if there was anything she'd missed in her rush to pack the previous night. Grabbing a few things, she glanced down at her discarded little black dress and grinned as she recalled the way Arthur and Eames had gaped at her as she'd approached them. Scooping it up, she threw it into the case as well, telling herself that she was bound to need it at some point or other during the Miyazaki job.

Looking down at her neatly packed case, she went over its contents a few times before concluding that she had everything she needed, including some of her textbooks and notes which she'd be using to study, so zipped it up before hauling it off her bed. Stopping now to make her bed, she was about to turn away when she noticed the framed photo of her and her parents sitting on her bedside table and picked it up. Staring at it for a while, she felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth as she remembered the day in which it had been taken, and pondered briefly as to whether she should take it with her or not. With a sigh, she realised that it wouldn't have been a good idea, so reluctantly put it back down, but not before whispering "I'll see you real soon okay?" to the images of her parents.

Grabbing the handle of her case, she took a moment to glance around the room that had been her home for the last four years and smiled wearily, knowing that there was a small chance she'd never see it again if things went wrong. Of course she'd be returning to sit her exams, something that she would be eternally grateful to Arthur for allowing it to happen, but she very much doubted she'd even get to see the building, never mind her room again. Locking the door behind her as she left, she began the trek back through the dormitory building, which was much more arduous with a suitcase in tow, and emerged to find that the sun was shining brightly amongst a cloudless bright blue sky.

Trudging through the large car park and surrounding ground with the case, Ari eventually came to a main road and managed to flag down a taxi. This driver seemed much friendlier, and was happy to help her with her case before driving off and making inane chat about the weather and an upcoming art festival. Pulling up outside the hotel, Ari thanked the man heartily and slipped him extra which he accepted with a flourish before driving away. Re-adjusting the strap on her shoulder bag, she dragged the suit case into the hotel and stopped in her tracks before she could pass through reception, having just noticed Arthur in the dining room.

She wondered whether she should take her case upstairs before joining him, or simply going over and admitting where she'd been. Her mind was made up for her however when Arthur happened to glance in her direction and saw her, glancing from her to her case and not looking happy.


	10. Chapter 10: Arthur's Warning

Starting breakfast in the quiet restaurant before 7am, assuming that Eames and Ariadne were still asleep, Ari certainly needing it by all accounts of how hard she'd been working herself, Arthur sat letting his eyes drift over a newspaper, only partially paying attention to the words on the page. The act gave him the chance to sit undisturbed, think and watch the passers-by in the hotel, which at worst was an interesting pastime and at best worth it to pick up something worthwhile.

After twenty minutes however Arthur noticed something he hadn't expected to at all - Ariadne entering the hotel wheeling a large suitcase behind her. Folding his paper with a disturbed frown, Arthur dropped it heavily onto the table and swiftly rose from his seat, striding over to where the architect now stood with her case, holding his gaze. This was a development he hadn't allowed for and one he wasn't happy in the least about.

"Let's take the elevator" he grimly suggested in a tone that indicated it wasn't up for debate. Leading the way inside the cubicle, Arthur pressed the button for the correct floor, keeping silent as it started to ascend, lost in his thoughts for a moment.

As the lift opened onto their floor, Arthur led the way to his own room, despite Ari still having her case with her, prioritising the job above their personal lives. Swiping the entry card to open the door he held it open for her, following her in with the same blank but foreboding expression on his face, offering her the one chair in the room as he sat on the end of the double bed.

"Ariadne, if someone wanted to end or interfere with this job, and any future work, who do you think they'd target? Who'd be easiest to get to?" Arthur asked suddenly, letting the questions rest for a moment.

From the moment she saw Arthur get up and swiftly approach her, Ari knew that he wasn't happy and that she was undoubtedly going to be on the end of the type of lecture he reserved for Eames. Standing totally still as he approached her, she simply nodded and followed him into the elevator, deciding that now was not the best time to argue. When they reached his room and indicated for her to take a seat in only comfy chair in the room, he sat down at the end of the large bed and started with a question in which Ari knew the answer to, but refused to answer it straight away as she was mentally trying to build a defence for herself.

After leaving the question hanging for a moment, Ari sighed wearily and decided not to be a smart ass as she didn't want to make things worse for herself or Arthur. "Yeah, I know, I get it; I get what you're trying to say, but come on Arthur… This whole thing only really started properly last night when we talked shop over dinner. Besides, I was out of the hotel by six, who the hell would be around at that time? I was totally safe, I got a taxi back to my dorm, packed the rest of my stuff and got a taxi back, and here we both are, with me in one piece. Is there any need to make a big deal out of this?" she asked and instantly regretted it.

Of course it was a big deal to Arthur, everything was when he was on the job. Although he was taking charge of this job he still felt like the point man. He'd been taking the role so long now that it fit like a glove and his first concern was to make sure nothing went wrong, and that included protecting the team.

"I'm glad to see you're in one piece, and you probably are reasonably safe around here" he answered honestly. "but you can't take that for granted. There's a lot you didn't need to know for the 'Fischer' job, especially when you weren't coming into it at first, but it's important now." Arthur took a moment's pause, hoping what he was about to share wouldn't lose the team their architect in itself.

"When Saito offered Cobb that job it was while one of his staff had a gun to the head of Nash, our previous architect. Even though we accepted, they still dragged him off to turn him over to Cobol Engineering, the company we were supposed to extract from Saito for. The same company's agents ran Dom down in Mombasa when he went to get Eames and still have a price on both of us right now. I have to assume if Saito was still holding Nash when we finished the job he'd have let him go but if Cobol got hold of him it explains why we haven't heard back."

"We don't deal with the nicest people, if we did we wouldn't make enough to do this so you need to be careful, at least until you're trained. It may have taken us five people and a plane journey to incept Fischer but if I'd been that taxi driver I could have put you under, extracted anything I wanted about the job, the team you're with, your friends or family and disposed of you in the time it took for anyone to notice you were gone. There's no way you can do this job if you're paranoid about the risk but if you want to keep coming into the dream world your real world isn't going to be as safe as it used to be."

Breaking eye contact, Ari felt as if someone had ripped the very ground out from underneath her and that she was plummeting into a bottomless pit of fear and despair. With a sigh she suddenly stood up and faced the opposite wall as she contemplated everything Arthur had just told her. So that was why Cobb had turned up at the university on the hunt for one of Miles' more gifted students… Because their last architect had disappeared without a trace and they needed a replacement ASAP. She'd entered into this awe inspiring, indescribable world by default?

Then of course there was what Arthur had said about how easy it would be for someone to extract everything they needed to know about the job and Ari herself, and it was then that her mind went into overdrive. What did she take with her that could lead back to the people she cared about? There was her mobile of course, and then all the textbooks she had with her that could easily lead someone to the university and the very few friends she had, as well as Miles. Then there were the handful of knitted jumpers she had that came from her mother's little shop back home… Would they be able to trace it back to them? Would her family be in danger because she hadn't stopped to properly think things through? Arthur was right… This was all stuff she didn't know about when agreeing to the Fischer job, not that anyone had taken the time to take her aside and tell her.

Crossing her arms and tapping her fingers in a steady rhythm as she normally did when nervous, angry or upset, she hovered on the spot a moment longer, wondering if it was all worth it. Was abandoning the final few weeks of her degree to work with people who had been lying to her from the start really worth the risk and all of the worry? She didn't know and she didn't want to think about it at that moment, but there was something she did want to know.

Turning around slowly to face Arthur, she placed her hands on the back of her chair, more for support than anything as she suddenly felt very faint, and returned his intense gaze.

"Did you try and help him?" she asked, her voice so quiet it was practically a whisper. "Nash I mean… Did you even _try_ and help him?"


	11. Chapter 11: Doctors and Nurses

_**A/N:**__ Really sorry for the lack of updates of late – gained one of those things call 'a life' again and can't seem to shake it this time! Will try and update at least once a week though, and please don't hesitate to comment – it what gives all us authors the ability to continue our stories, knowing that someone out there is reading, and maybe even enjoying!_

* * *

Watching Ariadne stand and appear overcome by what he'd told her, Arthur mentally waited for one of two reactions from her - either for her to be fearful and reconsider her acceptance of the job, or to be bolshie and insist she could manage, but when she finally spoke he was stunned into silence for a few moments, not having prepared for a pure concerned enquiry. He couldn't tell from her tone whether the whispered question was related more to Nash's health or interest in her own, but either motive would be entirely understandable. Either way, Arthur held Ari's gaze with his own, only the smallest twinge of guilt hiding in the back of his mind.

"There was nothing we could do at the time, we had to let him go, but I tried to trace where he was afterwards" he replied honestly. "Saito's got some very loyal employees though, and there was no hint of Nash and no point contacting Cobol. Saito was, obviously, more concerned about getting the job done than dealing with one of the pieces of leverage he had over us, he'd left that up to his staff. As far as he knew, Nash should have been released but he couldn't give any guarantee; Nash wasn't one of the team anymore so I guess Saito didn't feel any obligation."

Arthur stood, wanting to be a little more level with Ariadne, seeing as he was levelling with her about the unpleasant truth behind working in their world anyway. "That's why you have to be careful – Nash was a decent architect but he was reckless, and quickly ran out of luck. Maybe Cobb and I were too used to watching our own backs, maybe that's why Saito got shot in Fischer's mind, maybe it's why I didn't take the danger from Mal seriously enough. So I'll be even more thorough on this job, but you need to work with me."

"I didn't think Arthur, I'm sorry… It's just second nature to me to be independent and going at things alone as that's how I've done it for four years now," she stopped for a moment to consider what she was saying as she was veering into 'defensive' territory when she should have been reassuring him that she understood his reasoning. "But I'm sure I can learn to adapt," she added, her face and tone suggesting that she meant it.

A silent understanding passed between the two, and for a moment they simply looked at each other before Arthur turned and scooped up a small rectangular bag, placing it on the bed before unzipping it. Ari glanced at Arthur through inquisitive, narrowed eyes before stepping around the chair and gingerly approaching him as he pulled several small boxes out. Hovering close by, she watched as he opened one and took out a small, unidentifiable device and fiddled with it for a moment before turning to her with it in hand.

"This is a panic button – press it hard enough to detach the central button and it will automatically dial Eames, Cobb and myself with an emergency code." As the architect took the square, Arthur went on, reaching back into the bag as he talked, retrieving another couple of little bags, one containing a few blue pills, the other a single pill-sized rounded piece of something metallic.

"Clip it somewhere out of sight but accessible, such as on your underwear, keep it with you at all times. It works best with a GPS locator, though this one is simply injected under your skin…" Arthur indicated the metallic object, holding it in one hand "or you can take one of these pills but you'll need to take another every 48 hours….." he finished, glancing at the pills in the other hand, mildly relieved to have something factual to deal with again, something to move forward with to reassure Ari a little.

"Are you okay?" he added as an afterthought.

A million thoughts raced through Ari's head at once, many of which included valid, sensible questions such as 'Do either options come with any side effects?' or 'If I wanted the chip would it be operational for the rest of my life?', but for some reason unknown to her, her brain didn't quite connect with her mouth as she blurted out "Wow… First you put the fear of god in me and then immediately follow it up with distracting me with shiny new toys? You sure know how to show a woman a good time."

Standing there staring at him for a moment, she wished that she'd suddenly jerk awake in her own comfy plush bed just down the hallway, then shook her head as she weighed out her options. The idea of having to take pills every other day didn't appeal to her, and she wasn't afraid of needles so the chip seemed to be the most viable option. "But, uh yeah… I'd rather have it implanted under my skin thanks," she mumbled before wondering if anyone had ever asked for the pills.

It wasn't even 8am and it already felt like half a day had passed for her; and the cheerful attitude she'd had only an hour ago had been deflated with Arthur's revelations, adding to the already heavy weight on her shoulders: Studying, finals, the job, finding out what happened to their last architect… It had all been piled on top of her, and the gravity of it seemed to hit her there and then. She wanted to shout and scream, kick and punch things, tear the room apart and sob hysterically all at the same time, but felt too weary even to do that, so instead she pinching the bridge of her nose and forced a small smile.

"I need some coffee," she said, surprising herself while trying to sound light hearted as she maintained eye contact with Arthur, suddenly wondering how he felt knowing that he had a price on his head. There was no point in asking as he would either dismiss the question or brush it off with it being 'part of the job'. The idea of living your life always glancing over your shoulder didn't appeal much to Ari, not that it would have done to anyone. However, the idea that the bounty on his head was for him dead made her stomach churn as she didn't even want to entertain the idea of contemplating never seeing him again, the very thought of a world without him in it making her instantly feel unsafe and alone.

"You didn't stop for breakfast then?" Arthur asked, topic now gratefully changed, himself normally more than happy to leave others' eating habits to the eater but still recalling Miles, having given his opinion that Ari had thrown herself too much into her work, to make sure she succeeded, and perhaps to forget everything else and Arthur couldn't help being concerned about her.

"I'll get some coffee sent up" he added, crossing to the room phone. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"That would be great thanks…" Ari replied, "And no, nothing else, I'm not really hungry, just black coffee please."

"Sure?" Arthur checked doubtfully but Ari smiled and nodded. Arthur ordered a large pot of coffee from room service and, regardless of her answer, added a request for a selection of breakfast pastries for good measure.

After the expected tray had been delivered, Ari looking more at ease as she sat back on the chair taking small sips, Arthur busied himself retrieving various items from his bag, feeling reassured that although the dreams would be just as dangerous as ever, at least they'd have a fighting chance of keeping her safe in the real world. He tried to remind himself it was only because architects were so hard to come by but that wasn't quite ringing true.

"Go on"

Arthur looked quizzically to Ari.

"Best get it over and done with now, and don't worry, I'll be fine" she added and he nodded with a slight smile.

"Okay, just remove your clothes and leave them on the chair" he calmly requested, keeping a straight face for a moment until he saw Ari's expression fall in wary confusion, before smiling wider than before. "Or roll up your sleeve" he added.

Leaving a handful of items on the table beside Ari, Arthur moved into the bathroom, carefully washing and drying his hands to the point of being meticulous as always, re-entering the bedroom and stooping to one knee next to Ari's chair.

"This will sting, but I've done it to myself before and survived" he assured, gently holding her arm as his mind turned completely to business, concentrating on the task rather than the person, to save him any distraction.

Watching where the delicate network of arteries and veins ran under Ari's pale skin, Arthur tilted her arm to avoid any vital ones, running an anaesthetic wipe briefly over her flesh before inserting the

GPS devise into a flat syringe-like piece of equipment. Unwrapping a disposable scalpel, he studiously avoided her gaze as his grip on her limb became as firm as he dared, cutting a small slit into her skin. As a thin trickle of blood started to wend its way out he momentarily swapped the scalpel for the syringe, slipping it to the line of the cut, jabbing the plunger so the metallic shard embedded itself beneath. Pressing a piece of gauze bandage quickly to the cut Arthur finally returned his eyes to Ari's face, only an expression of interest showing on hers.

"Hold that there" he softly instructed as he let go of her arm, only slightly reluctantly, covering the bandage with a piece of plaster. "Keep a bit of pressure on for the next few minutes…. and remember that's there if you go through a metal detector" he finished efficiently but with the coldness he always thought necessary.

Disposing of the instruments carefully to avoid hotel staff becoming suspicious and rinsing his hands, Arthur was once again left with little constructive to do and poured himself a cup of coffee, sitting back on the bed again.

"As far as I'm aware the next training should involve less surgery" he said, attempting to put her at ease after all the steps he'd made to ruffle her already today.

* * *

Eames would never get over how far the fast-food chain 'McDonalds' spread as he sat on a stall at an oversized table digging into his bacon, egg and cheese bagel. Looking around the place at the similar layout to almost all other McDonalds in Europe, the Forger took a bite into his hash brown as he eyed up a group of women enjoying their own selection of food products, one in particular glancing over occasionally at the man, before looking away quickly. Now on normal circumstances, Eames wouldn't have hesitated in going up to her and be – to use the term lightly – 'ploughing her senseless' in the bathroom five minutes later, yet sadly this would not be the case for the next few months. He was officially on a job now, and for that reason he had not only chose to ignore a beautiful woman, but also used it as the reason that he was sitting in a fast-food chain, finishing his little cardboard cup of coffee.

Satisfied nonetheless, enjoying the breakfast as he always did, Eames left the restaurant and headed back to the hotel, seeing no point in going anywhere else as there wasn't anywhere else he needed or even wanted to go. Nodding at the same cute male receptionist upon entrance, the Forger decided it was time to locate his fellow colleagues, heading back into the restaurant area to locate them, hoping they were enjoying their own breakfasts, but found no sign of either. Shrugging, he headed back to the reception, and after having a little bit of flirting time, asked the man about the activity of the occupants of room's seventy-one and eighty-two, finding out within moments that the owner of the former had ordered a small breakfast meal for two some minutes earlier. Raising an eyebrow and thanking the man, Eames turned his attention to the staircase, bounding up them three steps at a time.

Reaching the room Arthur had revealed as his own the night previously, Eames knocked entered, not waiting for permission or even for a response, speaking before the Point Man could even get a word in. "Ordering Room Service already, Arthur? I feel ashamed that you didn't invite me round, or at least have a nice breakfast delivered to my room upstairs…" Noting Ariadne holding a bandage to her forearm in the background, Eames added in a hurt tone, "AND you two are playing Doctors and Nurses? I thought that you only did that with me – you're breaking my heart, Arthur!"


	12. Chapter 12: Quick-Wit & Patience

"You could play the janitor" Ari instantly retorted to Eames' remark, the man himself sauntered past Arthur and into the room, moving cautiously as he glanced at the bandage on Ari's arm.

"GPS locater," she said holding up her arm before turning to Arthur who had just closed the door behind Eames and said "Can I have something to cover this now please? I'd like to finish my coffee," she said sheepishly.

Turning back to Eames, wanting desperately to stop the room from plunging into silence, she looked him up and down and grinned. "I didn't think you knew that this time of morning existed unless you were doing the walk of shame Eames," she said mischievously.

"And what makes you think I'm not already doing the walk of shame?" he asked with a wink, grabbing her mug and moving closer to her, adding, "Open up" as he allowed her to take a few sips, before continuing, "I'm a regular early riser actually, when I want to be that is. Anyway, enough about me, apart from inserting things into you, what has our wonderful Point Man been doing?" He turned to look at Arthur, who was back by his bed and fishing through a bag of medicinal supplies, obviously looking for the aforementioned plaster.

Crossing back to Ariadne, Arthur gently smoothed a large plaster over the already healing cut, enjoying the brief contact but keeping that fact to himself, still wishing they hadn't needed the open 'discussion' before Eames turned up. He continued to direct his attention to the architect until he was forced to switch it to the forger, replying to Eames' innuendo with cold fact as usual.

"I've given Ariadne a P22" he said, referring to the panic button, "so try to charge your phone occasionally. And regardless of the reason, at least you're up early so we can make an early start at the warehouse….." Glancing at the suitcase still sat by the wall as a reminder of the breakfast conversation, Arthur continued, "Ariadne, you'd better take your luggage, we'll be clearing our rooms before we go, I'll arrange an apartment starting tonight, we'll be running this job as more of a closed set than the Fischer job so the more privacy the better."

"Um, okay…" Ari frowned and looked up at Arthur through narrowed eyes, "that probably means no phone calls or anything like that right?" She didn't bother to question his decision – Arthur was the man in charge, and she saw no point in starting a debate unnecessarily, especially after this morning. She however wasn't afraid to step up and put people into their place; sometimes it's what people needed, and it proved very useful in the Fischer job when she was trying to make Cobb see sense over Mal, so she knew in her heart of hearts that if she felt that Arthur was crossing a line, then she'd be there to set him straight.

"Which obviously I understand, but if it's the case then I need to make a couple of phone calls at some point today… You know, just to reassure a few people that I'm not joining a cult or running away or something like that when I drop off the grid; and don't worry, I'll think of a viable excuse," she added as an afterthought, wondering what it was she could tell her parents that wouldn't make them worry after an age of no word on how she was doing.

"Tell them you've decided to move to Hawaii for some relaxation away from everything" Eames joked, the hint about her imminent exam present in his tone even without saying it. Knowing he didn't need to make any calls, his family back in England used to not hearing from him for months at a time, Eames looked to Arthur's less than amused expression and rolled his eyes as he changed tact, "In the meanwhile, I need to find someplace that sells a charger for this thing" he pulled out his mobile before returning it to his pocket. "Suggestions anyone? No? Okay then!"

"You don't have to cut all ties" Arthur calmly explained to Ariadne once Eames had expelled yet another pointless suggestion from his system and ignoring his request - he could manage to shop for himself. "A decent story about why you're not attending uni would be a good idea but Miles will help where he can. As far as personal calls go; keep them to a minimum, mentioning no details about the job or where you are and never using a phone that can be traced. I've got some spares in the case at the warehouse."

Arthur was pleased to be able to be apparently reasonable about something after having to be so definite about all the details when Ari still wasn't used to the way they worked, especially as she'd taken a lecture, security devices and having to move in with the two of them in her stride. But then he was pretty sure she'd voice any objections she had, even after finding out what had happened to Nash, right from the start she'd never seemed too intimidated to do that. So that left him with a willing architect, and a team to run by himself, and the prospect of living under the same roof as Eames for the near future. No wonder the job was causing him sleepless nights already.

At least phone calls were something he didn't have to give much consideration to. His family consisted of merely a sister and mother who he'd never informed he'd left his previous post in the army years before and so still accepted his long absences as normal, considering one call a month more than good enough. The only other person he was obliged to stay in touch with was Cobb and that was for the benefit of both.

Glancing out of his peripheral vision, double checking that he'd already cleared all of his belongings back into his bags, Arthur lifted one bag over his shoulder and picked up another case.

"I'll meet you both in the lobby when you're ready" Arthur added simply to the two other members of the team, holding the door open for both of them to leave.


	13. Chapter 13: New Accommodations

Ari listened intently to what Arthur was saying, nodding in understanding as relief swept through her like a giant wave; the idea of calling her parents just to tell them that she wouldn't be able to speak to them for a few months was one that inflicted more fear in her than the idea of staring down the barrel of a gun in China. They were worried enough about her with the strict regime she'd placed herself under in the lead up to her finals – Telling them that she wouldn't be speaking to them for so long would probably be enough to see them jump on a plane to see her, and that was something she didn't need with the Miyazaki job looming.

"Okay yeah sure… And I can do that, no problem" she said, being sure to ignore Eames' mocking suggestion, already formulating ideas to explain her prolonged absence from the college – A family member being ill was something that was never really questioned by anyone as nobody wanted to risk touching on a sensitive topic for someone, so alongside the elusive 'family emergency', it was a front runner.

Deciding to give more thought to it later, Ariadne drained the remains of her coffee and smiled contentedly, feeling a little pep returning to her step as she stood up and glanced around the room. Despite the fact that Arthur had the contents of a bag spread out over the bed only a few minutes ago, it was now made up to almost pristine standards and was clutter free, as was the rest of the room. Ari blinked, wondering how Arthur had done it as he pulled the door open for them, politely indicating for them to leave and head back to their rooms, so Ari grabbed her suitcase and walked past, thanking him with a smile and a nod as she did.

Not stopping to see if Eames was doing as he was told, she marched the short distance to her room, let go of the handle of her case and went to dig around in her bag for her key card when she realised that she still had the minute panic button in her hand and suddenly froze. It was so small and delicate looking that she felt as if any sudden movement would either crush it or set it off, so she moved with extreme caution and skill as she eventually found the card and let herself into her room, being sure not to move her open hand at all as she did so, as well as managing to get her case in.

Letting the door close behind her, she dumped her bag onto the floor before approaching the full length mirror in the corner, stopping a few feet away before moving around in a circle as she tried to decide where the panic button should go. Arthur had mentioned something about attaching it to her underwear, but she wasn't sure if he was being serious or joking with her as he had done when telling her to take clothes off to have the GPS device implanted. Thinking about it for a minute, she realised that it made most sense as nobody would see it, it was in an easy to reach place if she knew exactly where it was; and she doubted very much if anyone but her would be handling her underwear over the course of the job.

Looking away from the mirror, she unzipped her jeans and placed the button near her pelvic area, deciding that it was the least likely place that would be accidentally bumped into. Zipping up, she went straight away into the large en suite and scooped up her things before tossing them into her overnight bag, then moved back to the bed and threw in the previous night's clothes as well as the book she'd brought in case she felt bored. Zipping it up, she straightened up the bed to the best of her ability and scowled when she realised that Arthur would have done it better.

Chuckling to herself as she grabbed everything, she did a quick sweep of the room to make sure she had everything before stepping through the door and locking it behind her. Moving with difficulty towards the elevator, she got in and allowed the mind numbingly awful music to wash over her as it moved down to her destination, smiling when the doors opened in the lobby and revealed Arthur standing waiting.

"So I guess we're waiting on Eames then? I shouldn't be surprised," she said as she approached him.

Standing next to him, her eyes swept around the bustling lobby, taking in everyone who was coming and going, something she told herself she'd probably have to learn to do in due course.  
Opening and closing her mouth a few times before saying what it was she'd been dying to tell someone since agreeing to take the job, Ari kept her eyes trained on a group of sharply dressed business men entering the hotel as she did so.

"I don't know about you, but I really can't wait to get started," she said as a grin slowly took hold.

Returning Ariadne's smile as she exited the lift sooner than he'd expected, Arthur watched the architect briefly as she took in her surroundings, looking alert and interested, and found himself still surprised that, despite doubts, she took to their world with such determination, ready to do what was needed, but not without question. Not for the first time since their last job, Arthur couldn't help wondering exactly what had happened to Ariadne while he'd been stuck on the second level. Still, there wasn't the time to bring it up then, especially as she again displayed her readiness for more work even after a heavy start to the morning.

"Good to hear" he replied with a genuine smile, infected by her enthusiasm. "We'll start with some training so we can focus on the research and plans when we get to Shanghai, we can cover everything you should have been shown before going into Fischer's mind…." he finished, prepared to be candid after their earlier conversation.

* * *

Being ushered out by Arthur only moments after his little speech, Eames sighed to himself, knowing time was precious to Arthur – or something like that. Bidding Ari a swift goodbye as she headed to her room to collect her things, Eames headed back to his; not that he had any items, and certainly nothing to put them in, but decided a little rest before re-meeting with the rest of the 'gang' was well needed.

Outside his door however, Eames felt his pocket vibrate, and not in the way he preferred. Pulling out his phone, he stared at the name presented to him in contemplation, unsurprised to actually see the name flashing on the screen as he pressed the 'accept call' button, holding the phone by his ear as he fished the keycard from his pocket, speaking to the person on the other end with a simple, soothing tone, "Matilda, my darling, how surprising."

Listening to the voice on the other end with a smirk, Eames found his way into the room, looking around at the already-cleaned pad, impressed by the staff at the hotel as he responded to Matilda's comment with an "Un huh" as he lay back on the bed, looking to the canvass of the four-poster above him, letting her voice drift over him as memories of the woman sprang to mind, most of them painful, some quite happy, the rest pleasantly orgasmic. "I understand, yeah, no I'm in Paris at the moment, city of love and all that and you-know-who is here too. Yes, of course I am, bit of a cash flow needed really – yeah, that's true…." As she went into another long drawn-out speech, Eames wondered why he wanted to remain friends with her, their past somehow not just a reason anymore; no matter how close it had made them back then.

"Okay, love you too darling, speak to you later" Eames finished the conversation, turning the phone off and checking the battery level before skilfully spinning over to lie on his front, again contemplating his next move. Checking his watch to decide whether the call had lasted long enough to allow Ari and Arthur another lovey-dovey reunion in reception or whatever – and yes, he knew about what they had, loved seeing it too, and he simply couldn't wait to see how it progressed, if Arthur allowed it of course…

Sighing, remembering when he had something like that in what now felt like a past life, Eames shrugged, as hard as that could be in the position he was in, and again repositioned himself, sitting on the bed. A moment later he walked back to the door, deciding he had given the lovers enough time, he headed back to the corridor, immediately distracted by the tall redhead that was strolling past the door, glancing to him as he exited and smiled. Closing the door behind himself and strolling after the redhead, Eames began a chat up line, only to have her interrupt him;

"Sorry mate, but I'm married" she stated in a light Scottish tone, adding, "and I'm currently very busy" pulling out a keycard herself, Eames watched aghast as the woman let herself into a room and out of his life, muttering to himself in realization "I wouldn't even have had the time I suppose…"

Exiting the door to the staircase a minute later, Eames saw the rest of his team waiting in the lobby, smirking at them as he stated in military tone, not looking to Arthur as he did so, "All present and correct now, Sir!" allowing a moment of non-eye contact, Eames then looked to the man, asking, "So where next, boss?"

"We're going to the warehouse, unless you have somewhere else to be Eames" Arthur replied with only a touch of acidity to the forger's sarcastic question, before walking towards the front doors. After packing the car with his and Ari's luggage – Eames not lacking in such – Arthur drove through the already noticeable morning traffic, virtually ignoring Eames' chatter until they arrived at the non-descript warehouse they'd be using for the preparation for the job.

A couple of cases Arthur had left as soon as he got to Paris stood just inside the door and he busied himself unpacking briefly while Eames and Ariadne settled back into the surroundings, almost as if this was only a few months before. Removing the PASIV case he started on the essentials instead of wasting time on small talk.

"Ariadne, ready to go under again? We'll start with some conceptual dream training this time. Eames, are you coming in?"


	14. Chapter 14 - Journey into Arthur's Mind

Glancing at Arthur out of the corner of her eye, Ari was pleased to see a genuine smile on his face; it suited him she thought to herself as he went into detail about what their plans would be over the coming weeks, only to stop short as Eames sauntered over to them, taking his usual carefree approach to the job and forcing Arthur respond in the cold and sharp manner that he normally reserved for the forger.

Following behind them as they headed for the car, Ari couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she pondered the relationship between Arthur and Eames and what it was that had started it all. Eames seemed determined to go out of his way to irk Arthur to no end, usually resulting in a verbal lashing, which Eames seemed to enjoy the angrier he was, which in turn annoyed Arthur even more... It was a vicious yet entertaining cycle that seemed to have worked over the years, so who was she to interfere and change things?

Slipping into the back of the car, Ari stared absentmindedly out of the window during the short trip, feeling her eyes already growing droopy with tiredness and suddenly grateful for the sleep she would be having soon, even if it was drug-induced.

Arriving at the warehouse sometime later, Ari took a moment to take in her surroundings as Arthur unlocked the doors, smiling as the memories of their last visit here crept to the forefront of her mind… There were a few people missing this time, the most notable of course being Cobb, and she had no doubt in her mind that it was more obvious to Arthur than anyone else. She watched as he headed inside, taking a moment to get a final breath of fresh air before following behind Eames, who strutted ahead and right past Arthur who was busying himself with unpacking a few cases.  
Smiling at him as he turned his back briefly to grab the PASIV case, Ari turned away and walked slowly into the centre of the large warehouse, memories now coming through loud and clear as if through a radio.

She stood in what she believed to be the very same spot in which she'd had her first and second lesson with Cobb in dream sharing, the latter of which hadn't ended very well. Her hand instinctively flew to her stomach as she recalled how real it had felt when Mal had stabbed her, then glanced over at Arthur again as she remembered him being by her side instantly when she'd woken up panicking and gasping for breath, reassuring her that everything was alright…

It was then that he chose to turn around and ask if she was ready to go under again, and she hesitated for a moment before answering, recalling how close he'd been to her in those few moments…

"Yep, ready and willing to go, whenever you both are," she said, turning around to glance at Eames, assuming that he would want to join them.

"I'll come anywhere darling, you know me," Eames drawled with not a hint of sarcasm.

Shaking her head as he wandered over to one of the white deck chairs, she rolled her eyes in his direction before wandering over to the one next to his and sat perched on the edge, waiting for Arthur to finish setting everything up. Moments later he wandered over to Eames and handed him a line, saying nothing as he turned to Ari, who settled back in her chair and rolled up her sleeve as he kneeled down beside her.

"Just like old times," she said with a small smile as he carefully inserted the needle and returned her smile before standing up and heading over to his own chair.

Feeling as if he hasn't even left the warehouse, yet somehow now relocated, Eames looked around the atypical American street; wide roads, tall building, streetlamps, a few lonely yet tidily placed cars plotted here and there… no people though, Eames turned his attention to Ari and Arthur as they appeared immediately at his side, as if they always had been as he turned his attention to the Point Man stating, "Nice work, one of your regulars, right?" His gaze immediately drifting to Ariadne, he slyly commented, "Just us in the world; the perfect dream."

"My idea of a perfect dream wouldn't _have_to include you Eames" Arthur stiffly answered to the forger, still uncomfortable with the way he looked at Ariadne at times but not willing to think about why.

Still, at least the street was comforting enough, no other people around to provide a distraction or take over, Eames and Ariadne obviously relaxed and aware enough not to have brought a raft of projections in with them. The streets were laid out in organised patterns, no litter strewn across the place, clean lines, immaculate buildings and perfectly landscaped parks completing the look. It wasn't exactly homely, as boring as the others thought he was at times he had his own definitive preferences, but something this organised and clean was at least efficient for a little training.

Turning to the other two figures, Arthur started calmly, "okay, Ariadne, this is something Cobb and I used to do to test ourselves – there are no projections, so nothing to get in your way, you just have to concentrate on the dreamscape. Inside that building ahead of you…" he pointed to a tall glass fronted building on the corner of the street, "…. there's several pieces of information from my subconscious hidden in various places, and quite a few traps to avoid them being found, all you have to do is see how far you get finding them. Getting in will be your first challenge. You can ask Eames for help, but bear in mind I already know a little about how he works, my subconscious may use that against you. You can ask me but even if I don't knowingly lie to you, my subconscious will again have information to use and can change the rules of the layout to deceive you, but you're an architect, you can change them yourself, with enough imagination."

Arthur waited politely, wondering how Ariadne would take this task, seeing as it had no specific teaching, no-one instructing her on every move just… pure creativity.

"Right..." she said before glancing in the direction Arthur was pointing in, her eyes falling on a building, she wondered how she'd never noticed it before. It appeared to Ari like a one story business tenement, with the front consisting entirely of very clean, reflective glass that was held together by steel. It was very efficient, very modern and very proper... Everything about it screamed Arthur.

Deciding not to waste time on niceties or asking questions as her mind was now completely entranced with building before her, Ari looked at Arthur and Eames in turn before marching towards the mysterious building.

"People in glass... Buildings..." Ari muttered to herself as she strode forward, admiring the reflection of the cloudless sky in the gleaming windows as she grew nearer, not stopping to ensure that Arthur and Eames were following behind. Moments later she was standing in the building's shadow, smiling slyly as she heard Arthur and Eames approach from behind.

"No obvious entrance at the front... Of course that's the first thing you'd take away if you wanted to put somebody off; Looking around the back would probably be a wasted trip, but it doesn't hurt to rule out every plausible option," she said aloud before instantly taking off to move around to the back of the building.

As she moved, she made sure to check every square inch of the building for a possible way in but found nothing, and rather than be disappointed to find the same at the back, she was elated – Arthur wasn't kidding when he'd said that it would be a challenge, and she loved a good challenge.  
Turning to see the two men approach, she felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth as she indicated to the building before talking to them.

"And yet again, no obvious entrance to be found anywhere, so what are our other options? I have a few ideas, but I wanna see what you think first Eames."

The forger looked thoughtful for a moment before glancing to Arthur and Ari in turn, and then to the building. "Hmm, well my immediate thought is to blast the glass away, but this _is_ Arthur's mind we're on about – they're probably quadruple-layered and each sheet of glass is bullet proof, then again, there's no harm in testing out a theory..."  
_  
_He trailed off as he delved into his pocket and pulled out his gun, moving to stand next to Ari before taking aim. "Never be afraid to dream a little extra…" he said before hesitating and turning to face Ari.

"Actually... Why don't you try?" he asked before thrusting the gun into Ari's hands before glancing over his shoulder at Arthur and greeting him with a smirk.

Holding the gun uncertainly in her hands, Ari looked up into Eames' overly eager face before looking back at Arthur whose face remained impassive and unreadable.

"Uh, sure, I guess..." she muttered, gripping it with both hands and raising her shaking arms to take aim.

Ari had only ever handled a gun once in her life, and even then it strictly hadn't really happened, even if it had seemed real at the time – having followed Fischer down into limbo, Ari went to find him while Cobb confronted Mal, only to have her go at him with a knife and do some real damage before Ari grabbed for a gun and shot her. She had been nothing more than a figment of Cobb's imagination, but watching her instantly crumble to the ground had affected Ari more than she thought it would.

Now here she was again, strictly not really holding a gun, but the cold of the metal under her fingers felt real enough. For a moment she considered giving it back to Eames when she suddenly felt arms snake along hers and hold them steady. Glancing over her shoulder to find Eames right behind her, she frowned as for a moment she thought it'd been Arthur, but decided to not think anything of it and pulled the trigger.

The recoil reverberated through her arm as the bullet tore through the air and hit a pane of glass, but did virtually no damage. Standing for a moment breathing heavily, Ari wriggled out of Eames' arms and lowered the gun, standing in silence for a moment before turning around and handing the gun back.

Lifting a steady hand, she let it hover in mid-air for a moment before calling back over her shoulder.

"Arthur made it all bullet proof..." she said trailing off before pushing her hand up against the glass with some force, only to have it instantly shatter, the broken shards falling at her feet, "but he didn't make it immune to the human touch," she finished as she glanced into the new entrance and the inside of the building.

Turning back to Arthur and Eames grinning from ear to ear, she indicated to the empty pane. "Looks like we have a way in now... Are you two coming?"


End file.
